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Arizona’s Rapid SNAP Rollout Under Trump Law Triggers Sharp Enrollment Drop

Strict error limits paired with staff cuts strain the system.

Overview

  • After Trump’s budget bill last July, about 3.5 million people fell off SNAP across the United States.
  • The law now makes most adults 18 to 64 without dependents show at least 80 hours a month of work, classes, or volunteering to keep aid.
  • Arizona sped up enforcement and added more paperwork checks, and enrollment dropped about 50% year over year by March, including roughly 200,000 children.
  • Processing grew harder after about 400 state workers were laid off, and Arizona risks up to $208 million because its payment error rate is above the 6.6% cap.
  • The rules also hit daily life, as in the case of Tiffany Hudson, who lost $600 in monthly aid during a paperwork dispute and was told to get a note explaining a one-time birthday Zelle gift while food banks report a 12% jump in demand.